The latest news on Nuclear Weapons, North Korea, N.Y. Shooting, Homelessness, Poverty and Learning, Same-Sex Marriage, Notre Dame, Catholic Bishops, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Select Op-eds.

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Nuclear weapons. Obama to pursue a planet free of nuclear weapons "President Barack Obama vowed Sunday to pursue the elimination of nuclear weapons from the planet, telling a cheering throng here that the United States is ready to lead an international effort to reduce atomic arsenals and the threat they pose." Obama Seizes on Missile Launch in Seeking Nuclear Cuts "Hours after North Korea's missile test, President Obama on Sunday called for new United Nations sanctions and laid out a new approach to American nuclear disarmament policy - one intended to strengthen the United States and its allies in halting proliferation." Obama commits U.S. to eliminating nuclear weapons "On Sunday, President Barack Obama committed the United States to a long-term goal of ridding itself and the world of nuclear weapons and said his first step would be to downplay the United States' nuclear weapons as the keystone of its defense."

North Korea. After Launch, Obama Focuses On Disarmament "President Obama arrived in Turkey on Sunday night as global condemnation of North Korea gave way to intense diplomatic debate about how to punish the rogue nation for the brazen weekend launch of a rocket over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean." Divisions emerge in international response to North Korean rocket launch "The U.S. president, Barack Obama, was today struggling to coordinate an international response to North Korea's launch of a rocket over Japan yesterday." U.N. Security Council fails to agree on North Korea reaction "The United States and its allies labored Sunday to devise a concerted response to North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket, but quickly ran into divisions over how to confront the defiant regime." North Korea: Experts say Taepodong-2 test raises new concerns about progress in Pyongyang's missile technology "Although a critical third stage of a North Korean rocket apparently failed in a launch Sunday, U.S. military and intelligence officials and weapons experts said the test had raised new concerns about advancements in Pyongyang's mastery of missile technology."

N.Y. shooting. 14 Die at Community Center in N.Y. "A gunman barricaded the back door of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of immigrants taking a citizenship class Friday, killing 13 people before apparently committing suicide, officials said." 13 Shot Dead During a Class on Citizenship "A gunman invaded an immigration services center in downtown Binghamton, N.Y., during citizenship classes on Friday and shot 13 people to death and critically wounded 4 others before killing himself in a paroxysm of violence that turned a quiet civic setting into scenes of carnage and chaos."

Homelessness. Homelessness up as families on the edge lose hold "Cities and counties are reporting a sharp increase in homeless families as the economic crisis leads to job loss and makes housing unaffordable." Homeowners' Hard Times Are Good for the Foreclosure Business "Welcome to the spring 2009 Reomac conference, which has attracted nearly 3,000 real estate agents and property managers to this lush desert resort. The crowd brimmed with a gusto that is hard to find in this recessionary era. The hotel bar did more business on Saturday night than it did on New Year's Eve. Small wonder: These are the people cashing in on the boom in foreclosed properties."

Poverty and learning. Research Links Poor Children's Stress and Brain Impairment "Children raised in poverty suffer many ill effects: They often have health problems and tend to struggle in school, which can create a cycle of poverty across generations."

Same-sex marriage. Iowa Court Voids Gay Marriage Ban "Same-sex couples will be allowed to marry in Iowa by month's end, after a ruling on Friday by the Iowa Supreme Court that found unconstitutional a state law limiting marriage to a man and a woman." Iowa court legalizes gay marriage as California watches "The Iowa Supreme Court, citing California's historic marriage decision, overturned a ban Friday on same-sex marriage in a ruling that emphasized the need for courts to protect minorities even when public sentiment is against them."

Notre Dame. Invitation to Obama Stirs Up Notre Dame "As church bells pealed, Claire Gillen, a Notre Dame freshman, stood on the stone steps of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, accusing this fabled Roman Catholic institution of sin and sacrilege."

Catholic bishops. Aging of Catholic bishops could lead to rebirth "With Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony prominently among them, many of the nation's senior Roman Catholic bishops are nearing mandatory retirement, offering the Vatican a significant opportunity to reshape the American church."

Iraq. Deadly bomb attacks hit Baghdad "A series of bombs in Baghdad has killed more than 30 people and injured at least 130, as the U.S. military announced its first combat death in weeks."

Afghanistan. NATO summit: the truth behind the troops heading to Afghanistan "The great jumble sale of troop offers made by NATO countries at the summit in Strasbourg to provide security during the election period in Afghanistan was beginning to unravel over the weekend as military chiefs tried to add up the numbers pledged." Europeans Offer Few New Troops for Afghanistan "With protesters raging outside, NATO leaders on Saturday gave a tepid troop commitment to President Obama's escalating campaign in Afghanistan, mostly committing soldiers only to a temporary security duty."

Pakistan. Time Is Short as U.S. Presses Pakistan, a Reluctant Ally "President Obama's strategy of offering Pakistan a partnership to defeat the insurgency here calls for a virtual remaking of this nation's institutions and even of the national psyche, an ambitious agenda that Pakistan's politicians and people appear unprepared to take up."

Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe 'to re-engage with West' "Zimbabwe's new coalition government has adopted a 100-day renewal plan aimed at mending ties with the West after years of isolation under Robert Mugabe."

Opinion. Health Care's Year (E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post) "Getting there won't be pretty. But for the first time since the passage of Medicare in the 1960s, the forces favoring action on health-care reform are stronger than the forces of cynicism and obstruction."